Terms will be explained. A finisher means a post-printing processing apparatus, and is also called a post-press process apparatus or simply a post-processing apparatus. The finisher executes various processes such as bookbinding, cutting, stapling, punching, and collate. Some finishers have multiple functions, and some have single functions.
Feature information of an apparatus is information representing the specifications of the apparatus, describes the features (e.g., functions) of the apparatus, and is also called property information. Feature information of the finisher contains information representing the functions of the apparatus, and the feeding order and direction of paper sheets. In the following embodiments, feature information is synonymous with function information.
Printing attributes are information for specifying how to print, and contain designation of double/single face printing, designation of face-up/face-down, the number of print copies, the paper size, and the layout. In the following embodiments, the printing attributes are synonymous with printing setting information. The printing attributes can be changed by the user within the range of functions of a printing apparatus from a user interface window provided by an application program or printer driver.
Conventionally, when a printing apparatus and finisher are separated in performing post-printing processing of a printed product using a finisher, the operator must set the printout product on the finisher. In order to facilitate this work, the printing apparatus desirably discharges a printed product in accordance with the specifications (feature information) of the finisher. There has conventionally been proposed a method of controlling printing attributes in printing by using feature information of the finisher. This method is implemented by the first method of controlling printing attributes in accordance with feature information of the finisher in printing, or the second method of controlling the function items of the user interface of the printer driver in accordance with feature information of the finisher. The function items are items for setting printing attributes by the user.
As the first method of controlling printing attributes in printing, the printer driver automatically sets printing attributes in generating a printing job in accordance with feature information of the finisher. In a printing system described in patent reference 1, the controller of a printing apparatus acquires information on the following two items associated with a bookbinding apparatus connected to the printing apparatus:
(1) information representing whether to pick up a paper sheet from the top of a set document stack or from the bottom; and
(2) information representing whether to set a document with facing up or down.
Based on these two pieces of information, the controller automatically sets the page output order (ascending/descending order) and the page output face (face-up/face-down) so as to allow the operator to directly set a discharged printout product on the bookbinding apparatus and bind the product. Since this control is performed by the controller, the user need not consider information on these two items in imposition.
As the second method of controlling the function items of the user interface of the printer driver, the type of finisher mounted in a printer is identified manually or automatically, and the function items of the user interface are controlled in accordance with the identified type. For example, when a finisher capable of stapling is connected to a printing apparatus, the staple setting item of the user interface of the printer driver is validated so that the user can set the staple.
Patent reference 2 describes a method of preventing bookbinding with contents different between the cover and the paper bundle in bookbinding processing. According to this method, printing information containing identification information of a cover and that of a paper bundle is printed by a printing apparatus. A bookbinding control apparatus loads the printed identification information and, if the identification information of the cover and that of the paper bundle coincide with each other, performs bookbinding processing.
When an in-line finisher is connected to a printing apparatus, a computer using the printing apparatus can control the printing apparatus including post-processing by the finisher.
In a system called “i2i” available from Horizon, setting information of a finisher is input by the user in accordance with the type and functions of the finisher and the like, and the setting information is saved in a control server which manages a printing job. An ID which links a loaded printed product to the setting information of the finisher is issued, printed, and attached to the printed product. The finisher reads the ID attached to the printed product by a reading device such as a barcode reader, and loads setting information corresponding to the ID from the control server. The finisher is automatically set in accordance with the loaded setting information.    [Patent Reference 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-078449    [Patent Reference 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-105455
However, in patent reference 1 described above, the bookbinding apparatus is a so-called in-line finisher connected to a printing apparatus (the in-line finisher is a bookbinding apparatus which is mounted as an optional device in a printer, and connected to the printer via a paper convey path extending from the printer). The method in patent reference 1 cannot be applied to a bookbinding apparatus which is not connected to a printing apparatus via physically the same paper convey path. In patent reference 2 described above, the bookbinding apparatus is a so-called off-line finisher (bookbinding apparatus not connected to any network) which cannot communicate with a printing apparatus. The user must separately issue an instruction on printing contents from the server, an instruction to print an ID, and an instruction to the finisher, and various kinds of information cannot be unitarily managed. In the i2i system available from Horizon, a printed product is associated with finisher setting information, but no finisher feature information can be reflected in printing data.
In other words, in either of the above-mentioned systems, when a product printed by a printing apparatus undergoes post-processing by a finisher which is not connected to the printing apparatus via physically the same paper convey path, the printing apparatus and finisher must be individually set. In particular, no system is proposed which unitarily sets a finisher and printing apparatus by an information processing apparatus such as a computer for controlling the printing apparatus. It imposes a burden on the operator to maintain matching between the settings of the printing apparatus and finisher, decreasing the productivity of printing processing and generating a setting error.